The Sickness
by Sachi-Sensei
Summary: It's been 3 months since the dead had risen. Saint Louis, although left in ruin and overrun still attracts the living in the promise of escape via the Mississippi River. With the chance of survival slim a small diverse group of strangers will have to band together if they are to have a chance to survive on their journey of escape from The Sickness. An OC story. Alternating POVs
1. The Cold Walking Grey

**Author's Note: This story takes place in first person with alternating points of view. Now onto the story hope you enjoy it.**

**The Sickness**

**Chapter 1**

**The Cold Walking Grey**

**Henry Miles**

* * *

If God could mourn through the wind he would surely weep a tempest. If the lush green summer leaves could cry out, they would surely scream, scream as if the world was breaking into nothingness. They would utter but a mere warning, a sonnet in the breeze to anyone who would listen of what horrors aimlessly wandered down the litter covered suburban streets and the lush overgrown lawns. A panicked screech in the soft morning wind would pass the tree lined avenues but would then be drowned out by the moans of the shambling dead that aimlessly wandered through the neighborhood searching with cold purpose for the living including me. The wind and leaves of the many tree lined suburban streets would scream in despair and desperation to anyone who would listen to run and hide and sneak away into the nearest rotting hole out of sight of the walking dead. The rotten, the lumbering death that moved slowly across fallen litter moved as one like a wave upon a rocky Maine shore. The horrid and hungry scourge carried a sensation of fear, decay and certainty, certainty that the end was near, that the world was not what it once were a mere 3 and a half months prior and to run from it was impossible; to dream and to seek solace and safety, to breed hope and love, it was all thought to be lies by those that remained alive here including me. Time, 3 and a half months of fighting to stay alive since the sickness overtook had worn me down and anyone left alive here in the suburbs. Food and supplies were spent; hope and safety were gone. Death however was in abundance and it seemed was an absolute presence that stalked around me.

And there I sat on the dusty leather couch in my tatty living room, alone. The soft golden light from the morning sun peaked through the boarded window in front of me showering me in the light. My black jeans were splattered with blood, dotting the fabric with small dried blotches and droplets. What were they? Why were they here; Christ, what the hell happened? I was there when they poured out of the city; I was there when they overran the police downtown but now, now I don't even know what happened. I don't know what to do anymore I planned on heading to the river maybe to find a boat but I never made it far from my house every time I tried. I nearly got bit looting a home down the street. I guess I should count my lucky stars I'm still alive. But maybe being dead isn't so bad at least they got to eat once in a while. Perhaps my luck would be better now that the streets were mostly clear of walkers and the carnage that was all too common in the early few days.

Scoffing at my sulking I ran my hand through my matted black hair feeling the grease and the sweat that stuck to my tresses like dust to a computer screen. I hadn't washed since the water to my house was cut over a week ago. I looked up from my lap and sighed pushing away the visible dust that was illuminated in the beam of yellow light.

The room was poorly light ever since the electricity was cut the floor lamp in the corner remained out. The room had little furniture: my old leather couch with matching armchair, the old floor lamp, a flat screen TV with a wooden stand that I had ravaged for its wood to barricade my windows, and the coffee table I rested my sore overused legs on.

I got up from the stiff couch and scanned the room. Cracking my sore back and stretching I felt my stomach growled.

_Food!_

My stomach knew what was up. I was starving; I hadn't found much to eat in two days and even then it was just an old candy bar from a turn over car. I knew I wouldn't be able to fend off anything I encounter if I was drained of energy from lack of food.

I walked towards the window and peeked for a view outside. My house laid directly on a three way intersection. Willard Street, a small, two lane, tree lined street ran across from me while Hawthorne Avenue ran forward away from me eventually it would link with Geneva Avenue and after that towards the highway towards Saint Louis. I cursed under my breath at the horror show I saw outside beyond the overgrown lawn.

_Damn! There're so many of them!_

They were coming through the neighborhood like a wave; there were dozens of them. They moved agape and gurgling in a loose group but stayed together moved towards the city several dozen miles ahead to the east. A force unmatched, an army of misery and descent they made my bones freeze in fright as they passed my house moving away from me down Hawthorne Avenue. Their bodies swayed with faint purpose, slanted but secure in the way they shuffled and dragged along the ground: grinding twigs and dirt and small rocks into already punctured, slashed, and deteriorated flesh. Sunken white lifeless eyes radiated with vacant interest and swirled in an empty slush of dull glint. It seemed that they were heading along the sun warmed streets to Saint Louis in the east. The promise the smoke and the carnage had given them some vigor when what appeared to be the herd leader, a large muscular man with sickly green skin with a ripped black eagle shirt howled in the air pointing eastward towards the smoke columns of what I thought was a deserted and overrun metropolis. Warmed by the promise of blood flooding their mouths and streaming down their throats they shuffled forth slowly but surely. Screams of life draining, beats of life fighting, these were the things Death craved and in the end death was the only certainty now. They wobbled along moving past the caravan of debris beyond my view.

The tree lined avenue was jammed with debris and trash. Several derelict wrecks lay strewn on the pavement and on the foot tall lawn grass some charred from fires. Most of the cars had their windows blown out with dried brown blood caked on the doors and dashboards. Besides the few walkers and rotters aimlessly wandering around the block became unusually quiet, the distant moans of the rotters and the walkers faded away. The majority of the mass that had moved through had passed heading towards the highway down the street leaving behind a few stragglers that remained out of faint curiosity of the boarded up houses and mesmerized by the many red quarantine signs on the abandon houses. Unknown to the curious dead that were watching the houses I was watching them.

Walking away from the window I proceeded out of the living room and into the hallway. Down the hallway was the front door and to the left the stairway leading upstairs and another next to it leading to the basement and dining room and to the right of the hallway was the kitchen. Walking left I entered the dining room just past of the staircases. As I entered the dining room I was instantly bathed in amber light. The skylight above showered the room in light. In the center of the dining room stood the thick, wooden dining table and several wooden chairs, not like I used them now though, no more dinner parties with my friends that I can only assume are all dead now walking the streets. On the table rested my gear, or what remained: a small black leather satchel, a lead pipe I found with a makeshift grip of leather straps to prevent my hand from slipping, my "acquired" Colt Cobra revolver with a box of .38 special ammunition, my leather jacket, an aged black baseball cap, and my dark blue bandana I used to cover face to protect it from splattering blood. All in all it was a decent amount of gear what I lacked in provisions I nearly made up for in gear. Grabbing my gear I proceeded back into the hall upstairs. I needed two more things before I headed out again. I needed to move out my stomach demanded so I guess I was going to head into downtown I pretty much took what was left in around here scavenging everything useful around me in a four square mile radius around. I needed new grounds and with the lack of any supplies here I needed to go—no I had to go. Heading up to my room I was greeted by the creaking sound of the thick wooden door. Entering the room I took the rest of my stuff that I was going to need. I was leaving the safety of my house. I needed a new place; this place wouldn't sustain me for much longer and perhaps I could find better gear and food in town and maybe some people if any were still alive. Maybe, I could find a much more secure place to hide.

_Ha._

Hide, so that's what we've been reduced to, both us and them, to hide and to sneak about like rats and cats, and we were the rats. I shook that thought from my mind as I continued to rummage through my messy room.

_Aha!_

I found what I was looking for, my Mag-Lite with a couple spare D-cells and my first aid kit, I had found them and with everything intact. Tossing both in my satchel along with my Colt Cobra and with my lead pipe in hand I trotted downstairs and braced myself against the front door peering out.

The streets were clear and empty not a moan, not a sound was heard besides the wind. All the rotters must have left lucky for me maybe I could make some ground. It has to be easy enough downtown was only five miles straight down Willard to the south.

Removing the wood and the barricades from the front door I poked my head out and scanned the street and looked around.

_Nothing._

With that thought I crept forward cautiously at first but by the time I reached the sidewalk I was standing upright brushing the crushed grass off my boot heels. Standing on the sidewalk I looked down the long seemingly endless street towards the tiny dot ahead, downtown.

Looking up into the sky I witness the sun fading behind black storm clouds darkening the ground removing all the hard shadows beneath the trees in place of them nothing but soft grey tint, a bad omen, perhaps but I still needed to get moving the longer I was exposed outside the bigger the chance of being spotted. Shrugging my shoulders I began my long march into town. My heavy boots clicking against the concrete making the only noise beside the soft distant wind, it was my only companion as I walked straight ahead into the distant grey. The street began to slope downward; the hill the street ran down was quite steep giving me a clear view of the maze of businesses and buildings that made up downtown. From here the streets look moderately clear a few small groups of walkers every now and again but for the most part it seemed empty. The buildings were growing bigger and bigger as I continued to walk casually in the direction of downtown. After about an hour or so I couldn't tell since I had no watch I neared the first few buildings on the outskirts of downtown and by then the sun was again shining down upon me with the storm clouds approaching from the distance.

_One more mile to go, come on Henry you can do it._

Resting my lead pipe on my shoulders and wiping the accumulated sweat on brow I made a faint grin as I neared my destination. Maybe if I was lucky I wouldn't be seen—or worst eaten. Perhaps I wouldn't find myself running back home; perhaps I wouldn't need to run and hide—to flee from the cold walking grey.


	2. A Fading Dream

**The Sickness**

**Chapter 2**

**A Fading Dream**

**Silas Mason**

* * *

The warmth of the morning sunlight peeked through the window in the kitchen like a slanted pillar of pure golden energy. The view of Hawthorne was beautiful; freshly cut green lawns and nice houses and tree lined boulevards made me smile as I stood next to the kitchen sink. The amber light reflected off the steel sink kissing my skin gently as I finished washing the last of the dirty dishes. The water splashed me soaking me in soapy water as I drained the sink and dried the last of the porcelain plates. The soft amber light of morning had wafted through the house setting it aglow with life and warmth while the houses around were still blue and violet with a cool sensation as if they were still in twilight. The house was cozy and comfortable just the way I liked it not too big but not too small either; it was perfect especially for a suburban house. It was one of those suburban bungalows you would see in a real estate magazine with a white washed porch and a glorious backyard with a swimming pool.

The air was filled with the sweet fruity smell of fresh baked blueberry muffins and fresh coffee. Breakfast was just over; it was just some cereal for me and some muffins and coffee for—.

"Silas, honey can you help me with this it's a little too heavy for me?" Speak of the devil. An all too familiar and soft voice called out to me from the living room. The voice was warm, soft, and overly feminine not that I was complaining.

"What is it Fiona?" I asked with a smile as I left the dishes behind and dried myself off.

"Just come over." She responded and if I could have seen her face she would probably have pouted.

"But what is it? Please don't tell me you're trying to push Skiff over like a cow again." I jokily groaned pressing my hand on my brow. Skiff was our Great Dane and almost every day Fiona would try to tip him over like some farm boy with a cow. I, still after three years of marriage I still didn't get why she did that.

"Just come over here and help me you big dumb and quit with the 20 questions. And no I'm not trying to knock Skiff over." She laughed.

"Fiona?" I pressed with my hands on my hips.

"Okay, you caught me I tried to tip him over before breakfast but I need your help with this and no it's not Skiff." She breathed and by the way she was huffing she was exhausted.

As I left the kitchen down the hallway towards the living room I could her grunting and exerting her energy trying to push something heavy. I could hear whatever she was pushing screech along the hard wooden floor; that was no dog if I ever heard one. I stopped at the entrance to the room and smiled widely at this petite beautiful blonde creature that graced my eyes.

Looking down I saw that she was trying to push the couch for what reason I could only guess. She probably lost a muffin underneath it. Fiona never really got the five-second rule not that I really complained. It wasn't such a big deal since I keep the house pretty clean while she was off at work downtown or in the city and before I went to work at the local pet store an hour after she left at nine.

Her small frame was barely visible from behind the couch. Her round face, her beautiful smile, her—her everything, everything about her made me smile even in my lowest moments and that's why I married her. An angel—no, a star in my life that was as close to what I felt for her; words could never describe my devotion for this woman.

Her long blonde curly locks coiled around her and down her back as she clumsily tried to push the couch. In the process of trying to push the couch she slipped and fell face first onto the hard wood floor knocking one of her heels off her and slid across the floor revealing her tiny feet. She must have heard me giggling so she poked her head up from the brown couch like a gopher. She looked absolutely adorable as her big shining cerulean eyes meet by own drab and plain grey ones.

"What?" She hummed as she crooked her hips to the side with an amused grin.

"Oh nothing, I was just, um, enjoying the view that's all." I laughed as she walked towards me. I continued to chuckle lightly before her soft, warm lips shut me up in surprise. I deepened our kiss as she ran her hands through my soft brown hair. I opened my eyes seeing a blush on her as she pulled away much to my disappointment. She then slammed her fist in my gut making me loss my breath and causing a lot of confusion.

"Ow, what was that for?" I coughed in confusion.

"That's for laughing at me." She grinned. She kissed me again and patted my cheek.

"Now since that shut you up mind helping me instead of standing around?" She smiled making me beam.

"Why of course, milady." I jokily bowed making her crook her hips again.

"Alright, then my brave shining knight if it's not too much trouble mind handing me back my shoe from the vile leather arm chair?" She smirked raising an arm covering her forehead faking a plea for help.

Grabbing her shoe I tossed it to her before positioning myself against the couch.

"So what are you trying to do with the couch anyway?" I asked leaning against the felt couch.

"I need you to move it so that **YOU** can clean the underside of the couch it's awfully dusty down there." She smiled before retreating out of the room.

"But wait! Me? Hold on a se—." I started before she interrupted me from the front door. I walked into the hall and leaned against the wall.

"No buts or complaints about it Silas I need you to get this done." She said wagging her finger at me. She was wearing her normal office attire; a black pencil skirt, a white blouse and her black heels I so bravely rescued from the arm chair.

_Son of a—._

"Now, I have to get going for the big office meeting I'm sure you can handle a few dust bunnies while I'm gone." She sang as I heard her take her black dress coat off the coat rack and opened the door.

"But the office is just downtown you have an hour before it even starts at nine." I said with confusion.

"No, not the downtown office I'm meeting with Diana in the city it's about the planning on this year's new office we're opening up in Memphis. So while I'm away having a wonderful time crunching numbers in the city I need you to clean the house, walk Skiff, and vacuum upstairs." She ordered with a smile

"Ooh, you're going to pay for this!" I playfully threatened with a smirk.

"Come at me bro!" She said in a rough boyish voice slapping her chest in a mocking manner.

"Better get moving Fiona or it's going down!" I shot back returning the gesture.

"You mad bro?" She joked as she put on her black business suit and blew me a kiss. I caught it as she looked back at me with her big beautiful eyes.

"Love you baby, tell Diana I said hi!" I hollered back.

"I will." She laughed.

Diana was Fiona's best friend and the fact that both worked for the same insurance firm made it even better for Fiona to have a great friend work alongside her made the work that I saw as boring all the more enjoyable for her at least. I was fond of Diana, too. She was a raven haired woman and shared many of Fiona's qualities and we hit it off almost instantly. She was a good friend of mine and Fiona obviously sensed that.

"Hey maybe Diana and I could pick up some of that Ethiopian Wat and Injera you're so fond off when I get off work." She suggested.

"Sweet I love that stuff good thing Diana's father owns an Ethiopian restaurant." I sighed in bliss of the thought of delicious flat bread and spicy curry.

"And good thing he likes you so much for investing in his business when he started last year." Fiona remarked as she looked down at her watch.

"Nothing better than 60% off discount Ethiopian food." I said as Fiona checked her smart phone.

"Shoot! I'm going to be late I hope the traffic isn't too heavy today. Alright bye Silas I love you!" She hollered with a smile.

"Bye baby have a good one call me when you get there." I said as she shut the door behind leaving only her distant heel clicks to whisper to me. I knew she was showing the world that beautiful smile of hers as I heard the car start up and drive off.

"God I love her!" I smiled.

I stood there for a while alone stairing at the front door even after the distant roar of her car escaped my ears. With a smile on my I kneeled back down before putting my attention back to the couch for a final push.

**3 Months Later**

* * *

And there I stood in the dark of the mini-mart's back maintenance room. The boarded up windows allowed very little golden light into the store. The store had little to offer since we cleared it out many months ago. The front of the store was made entire of glass most of it was barricaded on the inside with wood boards and braced with emptied shelves and vending machines. It was as secure as it could be with the supplies scavenged around. The main area was pretty large and was converted into our living area with a few sleeping bags surrounding a LED lantern. On the left side of the mini-mart looking in was the counter where I sleep sometimes and where a ladder would lead up to the flat roof. I couldn't sleep with the others I couldn't get too close to people anymore after all this. I was drained—sucked dry ever since she was disappeared. I knew she was dead she couldn't possible have survived when the city was overrun. I could still see her face and her smile as she said "I love you." I fought back a tear as I heard a voice call out from the main room, an all too familiar voice. I tensed up as I heard her voice call out to me. It was too similar, too familiar and every time I heard it I felt as if a knife was stabbing into my brain and heart.

"Silas, can you help me with this it's a little too heavy for me." a soft warm voice called out to me.

"What is it Ellie?" I asked with a grimace. I didn't want to be disturbed and I thought she knew that. Whenever the five of us would find any time to relax I would always head to the back room or head on the roof from the ladder that was drilled onto the wall. There I would find my peace and reminisce and isolate myself.

"Just come over, please." She responded and if I could have seen her face I would she her twirling her fingers together nervously, it was a habit of hers that I noticed since we first meet during the failed evacuations three months ago. Ellie was a petite brunette standing only up to my shoulders with a familiar quirky smile and her hair tied in a ponytail. Her slim body was wrapping in a muddy white Tee and skinny blooded designer jeans.

"But what is it? Please don't tell me you're trying to get me to eat with you guys. I told you I eat alone." I groaned pressing my hand on my sweaty brow. My gloved hand felt slippery as I turned around to lean my back against the wall. My face was covered by my blood red scarf covering my nose and mouth and my grey hoodie covering my eyes with a black military plate carrier vest protecting my torso. Bracing myself against the frame of the window I looked up to meet her eyes.

"No, it's not that it's the vending machine I need your help to push it against the doors to barricade it.

"Why not ask Bruce or Michael or Sergey or hell even Sophie?" I inquired.

"They're busy building barricading the garage next door." She breathed and by the way she was huffing she was exhausted.

The local body shop garage next door was right next door to the mini-mart and we would always enter it through the heavy metal back door that was sheltered from prying eyes due to an opaque wooden fence that surrounded the shop. There was a beat up car in the two car garage. It was a Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew with missing parts and an empty tank so we wouldn't be able to use it anytime soon.

"So it's just you and me here then?" I asked as I crossed my arms and sighed.

"Yup it's just us." She smiled with dove eyes.

"Fine, might as well I'm not doing anything useful anyway." I sighed before pushing myself off the wall and walked towards the petite brunette.

As we left the back room we entered the main transactional room where the many shelves stocked with goods and food would once be but now was emptied with the sleeping bags in the center with the lantern and the cashier counter to my right with the doors in the front.

"Where's the vending machine?" I asked with a bored tone.

"Over here." Ellie said point to the black metal box in the corner of the room beside the counter.

"Alright I'll handle it from here." I said as I effortlessly lifted the food dispenser off the crumbling floor and placed it to the exposed glass in the middle door. Covering the exposed glass I wiped the dust and grim off my arms and looked at back at Ellie whom had an amazed look on her face.

"H-How did you do that?" She stuttered.

"It's only about two hundred pounds. It's one of those lightweight aluminum dispensers not like those heavy steel frame ones." I explained.

We exchanged glances for a few moments before I broke the silence. "Well, um, I'm going to head back to the back room is there anything else you need my help on?"

"No, no I'm good thanks. Well I'm going to check up on the others." She said as she ran to the ladder leading to the roof behind the counter.

"You do that." I said as I walked back to my room.

The dimming light of morning still peeked through the boarded up windows as I stood there once again by the window. I felt my hands. The soft feeling of warm feminine fingers intertwining with my own hard callous ones returned as I drifted off into my memories. Remembering the yellow haired woman with a quirky smile and a bounce to her step I once knew long ago but now I was sad to say she was becoming but a fading dream.


End file.
